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My fingerless mitts pattern

A pair of fingerless mitts with one of my gift bags. Shown in Caron Simply Soft Paprika.

I’ve had a couple of requests for my fingerless mitts pattern, so as a Christmas present to all my knitting friends, here it is:

Materials: I use Caron Simply Soft. Feel free to substitute any natural fiber you want. I would recommend a DK yarn, rather than a worsted weight or Aran yarn, because Simply Soft tends to be thinner than most worsted weight yarns. I use size 5 needles for the ribbing and size 6 for the honeycomb and stockinette

Gauge: 5 stitches to the inch for stockinette.

Note: In my experience, Simply Soft “blooms’ or grows over time. The mitts I made myself a few weeks ago are now 4.5 stitches to the inch on stockinette. For this reason, I always knit Simply Soft tight.

Like most of my projects, these mitts are knit in the round. You can use doublepoints, short (11 inch) circulars (what I used) or the Magic Loop method.

You also may want stitch markers, one to mark the beginning of the round, and one to mark where you switch from honeycomb to stockinette.

The left mitt showing the thumb area.

LEFT MITT Cast on: 44 stitches on size 5 needles. K2, p2 throughout the round for about 25 rounds or desired length for the cuffs. I like cuffs that are long enough to fold in half. I wear the cuffs unfolded or folded, depending on what I’m wearing them with.

At the very last round, increase a stitch in the two purl stitches, giving you 46 stitches. I do this by purling into the front and back of those 2 stitches. You also could (p1, make 1) twice.

Switch to size 6 needles.

Base of the left thumb. There are 2 increases at the bottom of the stockinette, one increase in the bottom right circle of the honeycomb and one increase in the circle to the right above the bottom circle.

Round 1of the honeycomb: k into the front and back of the first stitch, skip a stitch (either leaving it on the left needle or putting it on a cable needle that you hold in the front of the work), knit the next stitch in the back of the loop, knit the skipped stitch (this is a front cross), skip the next stitch (either leave it on the left needle or put it on a cable needle that you hold in the back), k1, k the slipped stitch (this is a back cross). Front cross the next 2 stitches. (Back cross, front cross) four more times.

Explanation: What you should start to see is that the stitches from the purled ribs below are going behind the knitted stitches from the knitted ribs and spreading them out. The first rib is a little different because you have that increase in there. You are going to do this for the first 6 knit ribs. From the beginning of the round to the end of the honeycomb is now 24 stitches. Knit to the end of the round, knitting in front and back of last stitch. You should have 48 stitches on the needle.

Round 2: k 47 stitches. K into front and back of the last stitch..

Round 3: (Front cross, back cross) 6 times across 24 stitches, knit to the end of the round. At this point, it is probably useful to move the marker that marks the end of the round two stitches to the right because you are incorporating those 2 stitches from the end of the previous round into the honeycomb. This is a key to the thumb shaping, giving your thumb plenty of room to move while still keeping it inside the mitt without knitting a separate finger for it.

Repeat rounds 4 through 7 until you can count 6 complete circles of honeycomb from a knitted cuff rib to the needle. This is 23 rows. If you want slightly longer mitts because you have long fingers, do it 27 rows (7 circles of honeycomb above the knitted cuff.) At the end of that round, bind off the last 6 stockinette stitches.

Continue to work in the round for 8 rows, following the 26 stitches of the honeycomb pattern as before and working 16 stitches of stockinette. The hole you’ve made is where the thumb will stick through.

On the 8th row above the thumb hole, switch to size 5 needles. K1, (p2, k2) 5 times. K1, k2tog, (p2, k2) 4 times, p2, k2tog. You should have 40 stitches, and the ribbing should be spaced so that the knitted ribs seem to grow out of or are centered over the circles below them.

Work five more rounds of k2, p2 ribbing. Bind off.

The right mitt, showing the entire honeycomb panel.

RIGHT MITT Cast on: on size 5 needle, cast on 44 stitches.

Explanation: Here’s a trick that I finally figured out on my 4th pair of these: on the right mitt, start your ribbing with p2, not k2.

Continue in p2, k1 ribbing for 25 rounds.

Beginning honeycomb: Switch to size 6 needles.

Round 1: (Back cross, front cross) 5 times. K into front and back of next stitch. Front cross. Knit into front and back of next two stitches. Knitl to the end of the round. (47 stitches)

Round 2: K 47

Round 3: (Front cross, back cross) six times. Knit into front and back of next stitch. Knit to end of round. (48 stitches)

Repeat rows 4 through 7 until you have matched the left mitt to the thumb hole. Bind off the last 6 stockinette (knit) stitches in that round. Continue in honeycomb and stockinette for 8 rows. Switch back to the size 5 needles and form the ribs exactly the way you did on the other mitt.

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2 thoughts on “My fingerless mitts pattern”

Nice mitts! Thanks for the pattern. I'm contemplating using some stash up and these would be really nice to knit. Now that the holiday knitting is done, it's time to start up for the oncology ward and for the coffee can raffle tables so prevalent at the summer fairs around here.

Pam ~~ How special of you to share your fingerless mitts pattern. Just the thing to cast on when the holiday knitting has been finished. We've already celebrated (early) with each of our daughters and their families and are home from Christmas Eve service at Church. Hubby must work Christmas, so I may put on my holiday music, light the tree and some candles, and cast on some mitts.
Merry Christmas to you!!

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About the author

Pam MacKenzie
Our real estate editor, Pam MacKenzie, expresses her creative side in this blog about knitting. Pam learned to knit at age 6, when her friend’s mother made Pam’s doll a dress, and Pam wanted to make more. Her mother wanted her to learn how to sew in high school, but she was afraid of the sewing machines, cutting fabric the wrong way, and the potential that sewing would have for bringing down her grade-point average. Every year, she managed to find a course conflict to avoid sewing classes. But the day after high school graduation, she took her graduation money to a fabric store, bought a kit to make a sweater, taught herself to read patterns and never looked back. These days, she knits a prayer shawl every month, along with sweaters, tote bags, gift bags and other goodies. She also designs many of her projects. Read More About PamE-mail Pam